Every year, students in Media Studies 12-0 write ten journals, where they can keep track and ownership of what they are learning. We write 9 in class, and number ten the students have to write at home.

Here is what a few have had to say. To protect their privacy, we don’t share their names, just their opinions.

L.S., female, age 18.

I have learned so much in this course. Looking back I cannot believe it. I’ve learned so much that it has changed my everyday life and how I view things. I can no longer ignore advertising as I used to. I can no longer read an ad and believe what it says. I look deeply into each one I see whether it be on a poster or on TV and notice things such as specific colours like in the Viagra commercial.

I enjoyed learning about cartoon noises because we’re influenced by them from such a young age. I thought I knew what each one meant because of what would be going on in the scene with the noise, but there were some I had never heard of before and/ or had no idea what it was trying to get across.

I did not realize until this year that teens do, in fact, run our society or that large companies such as TIDE bring in 30 people to test their products because these companies are not going to put out mass numbers of their product based on the opinions of a few staff members.

I think it is awesome that you follow us on Twitter and request that we follow you as well. I cannot imagine what you think of us after reading our thoughts and daily experiences.

I am so happy I took this course and had the pleasure of being your student. You are such a funny and caring person and I’m grateful for all you have been able to share with us and to teach us.

M.R. male, age 18.

What a great year it has been in media studies. We have learned so many things. At the beginning of the year, we learned about the 4 key concepts of media studies. I learned that few women are news anchors, or that magazines for women are used to sell beauty products. These are ideologies. The reason that TV was invented was to sell things. Mr. G., you taught us to think critically and continuously question what is being shown to us. You taught us that we are the ones who really control the media, but most people never complain. That might be the most important thing all year.

R.H., female, age 18.

This year we’ve learned so much about the media and advertisements and how it affects us. We all consume media on a day to day basis and we see up to 3 000 commercials a day. This obviously affects the way we perceive media. Like Disney, you showed us the subliminal messages in movies that perhaps as a child we could not recognize but as an adult, find some of these disturbing.

For example, in Beauty and the Beast, the message condoning girls who stay with men who are verbally and physically abusive and if you remain, sweet and nice, they will change into kind, loving, beautiful princes. This is a message we don’t want little girls growing up, watching and thinking this is ok.

Other than Disney we looked at several different aspects in the media and how to interpret them. Over all, I would say this class has been especially enlightening, and I’ve really learned some worthwhile information during this class. Thanks, Mr. G. for making it worthwhile.

A.P., female, age 18.

Media Studies has been the most unique class I have taken in high school. The teaching methods used have covered all different types of learners in the class. I know I am not the only one going away from this class with a whole new outlook on the media. From our PSA project to creating our photography assignment to our CD review to our final project to create a magazine, I have learned so much about what viewers like to hear and see, as well as how our culture is affected by our media.

One thing from the beginning of the term that has stuck in my mind is when you showed us the Budweiser commercial with the puppy and the horse.

That ad really touched me so much that I still watch it from time to time. I see this is what is important in the media. Whether it is a commercial, a Disney movie, a Barbie doll, Elvis, the Beatles or Forrest Gump, whatever touches you deeply has an impact on your life.

From the beginning of class with the YOUTUBE music video to the PowerPoint presentations and the class discussions, this class has taught me to think outside the box and to state my opinion. It is always interesting to hear what others have to say in our class and I always enjoyed starting my mornings with Media Studies.

A.E., male, age 17

For my 10th and last Journal entry, I am going to write about how I have changed through my journey in Media Studies. Unlike other classes, this class has been a life changing class, that hanged the way I see ads and the way I watch TV and everything.

One of the main things we did in class was to have a lot of discussions which I really enjoyed. I really liked having the discussions, because they increased my confidence in expressing my opinion. We had a discussion about Disney, Live Aid, and music, about empowerment vs inoculation (media theories) that showed how impressive our class was in their thinking and their acceptance to other opinions that are different.

Overall, this class has been one hell of an experience. We shared laughs and great moments. We had funny days and depressing classes too. We all learned together and started a journey of being media literate. I enjoyed every single moment of this.

R.H., male, age 18.

Journal Ten.

This is the last media studies journal of the semester. I should probably summarize the class. We looked through media studies at our voices. We looked at this through a variety of mediums, such as movies, TV, music, and advertising. I think the highlight of the whole class for me was making the PSAs in our groups, which was a lot of fun. The low point was when the class defended racism in Disney movies. This left me feeling very angry and disgusted with what I was hearing. Currently we are listening to the song Money by Pink Floyd. Awesome song, awesome band, awesome year.

S. G., female, age 18

So here it is. The last week of high school, other than exams of course. It hasn’t really sunk in yet that I’m graduating and come September I won’t be returning to school like I have every year for the past 13. It is crazy.

For me, I think one of the hardest things about graduating is that I am going to miss seeing the teachers I’ve been seeing every day for the past three years. It makes me so sad.

I have learned so much these past few months. I think this may be because of Media Studies. I honestly think it was the most important class I have taken in high school. This is because not only do I use it in media studies but I also use these skills now outside of the class and in other classes. I think it is amazing that one class can impact so much. I don’t think people realize how important it is to learn about the media and different ways it can affect people.

These past few months have been amazing. This class has not only taught me about the media but has got me to come out of my comfort zone and be more comfortable with sharing my ideas with others. I am so glad I took this class.

This music video is called Catchin The Vibe by Quasimoto. Quasimoto is not very popular he is a underground rapper but has alot of unqiue quailitys about him. He has never not onced showed his face to the public or did any live shows. This what makes him so interesting nobody knows who he really is. Many think he sounds like the rapper Madlib but this could be just a rumor

This video is about a garbage monster who collects garbage and turn them into cd of rap and hip hop music. This concept is weird. You can see the so called Garbage Monster walking around the town like a hobo and picking up garbage. I really enjoy watching his music videos because they are so diffrent and weird. I like the sounds of his voice too. At the end of the video , a car comes up and acts like its a drug deal he exchanges the records for 10 cash. The garbage monster sells the records like someone would sell illegal drugs.

Things i didnt like about this video is since Quasimoto is so mysteroius some thing are very hard to understand. You might have to watch the video a couple times for you to understand the concept, even if it has a concept hah. I didnt like the point where the young boy was throwing the garbage man stuff around and took a gun from him and pointed it at the garbage monster. i didnt understand that part and he looked way to young to be holding a wepon.

This video is a inspired by Clueless movie( 1995). Where Iggy plays Cher,and her valey girl life.The video features many keep moment in clueless such as the classroom debate, the gym class, and the highway freak out, as well as many other scenes.

I like this video a lot because i adore the movie clueless and the fact that this music video is a mashup of the best movie ever is halarious and so much fun to watch.I think that the video would be improved my including her step brother and love intrest Josh, although with amount of time they had to make the video, i think they did a good job.

 The ad I chose for my analysis is the Nike Air Max shoes ad. I found this ad particularly brilliant because of the way they used graphics to make the two sneakers look like the lungs. This ad says that when you work out and run in the Nike Air Max sneakers, you will be healthier, therefore, these sneakers will keep you alive, just like how your lungs keep you alive. The message of this ad is so clear and obvious, as it encourages people to be fit, healthy and active, which will happen when they use Nike Air Max sneakers.
 The use of color is this add is very important, as they used only black and white to give the product a classy look that focuses on the actual composition, texture, and shading of the product, which makes it more attractive. The only dark parts in the add are the sneaker, the copy, and Nike logo, which emphasizes there significance. Also when we take a closer look on the sneaker, it looks like they intended to have a halo effect on the sneaker, which makes it look like it is from “outside this world.” And since there is no model, there is no body language or use of sexuality to sell the product.
 The message in this ad is a social message that encourages people to be fit and have an active lifestyle.
 The copy in this ad is brilliant. It says “THEY KEEP YOU ALIVE”, which is a double entendre because it can be interpreted as either working out with the sneakers keeps you alive, or your lungs keeps you alive. The font is a standard non-serif font which makes it a little bit masculine, but there is some sort of elegance in it that makes it works both ways, therefore I think the target audience is both males and females.
 There are no weasel words in the ad.
 This ad connects through the AIDA formula in a remarkable way. It took my attention because of the use of black and white, and the effect of graphics that made the sneaker look like lungs did an awesome job in attracting my attention. Once you check out the ad, it starts sparking your interest because of the copy that says, “They keep you alive” and because everyone want to stay alive, everyone will be interested in it. After sparking your interest, you start thinking about the active and fit lifestyle, and at this moment, this product hits your desire, and you start saying, “I want that.” At the end after getting your attention, sparking your interest, and controlling your desire, this ad makes you want to take action, and go to the nearest store to buy a sneak to “KEEP YOU ALIVE.”

1. This advertisement is about Volkswagen Automobiles. This Advertisement is talking about how Volkswagen cars have precision parking assist. The Ad is saying that park assist by Volkswagen is very accurate.

2. The porcupine is darker then the fish and has a darker shadow. There is almost a halo effect around the porcupine because there is a lot of contrast between the background and it. Also around the fish it is lighter than the rest of the background. The light seems to be coming in from the upper left hand corner, giving a shadow effect.

3. There isn’t really a social message in this ad. Perhaps the reason the Volkswagen car is represented by a porcupine is because Volkswagens are different. This is why the “other cars” are represented by fish in a plastic bag, there all the same. Also perhaps Volkswagen cars are bold, that’s why it is a porcupine beside a bag with a fish in it.

4. The font of the “Copy” would be considered masculine. The font is masculine because there are no serifs present in the text. A double entendre is also not present in the ad; however a play on words is. The ad says “Precision parking. Park assist by Volkswagen” and in the background is a porcupine between two separate plastics bags with fish in them, implying they are cars and the Volkswagen is the porcupine.

5. In this ad there are no weasel words present.

6. The ad connects through AIDA because the porcupine grabs your attention, maybe implying Volkswagen cars grab your attention. This helps keep the attention as well as the interest of the viewer. Also the gold fish grab your attention. The ad does not make me desire a Volkswagen car however it is a very clever ad that makes you think when you take a second look.

]]>https://fhsmediakats.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/deconstructing-vw-ads/feed/0thekat2010ad deconHaving a GOOD TIME with Alan Jackson’s Good Time.https://fhsmediakats.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/having-a-good-time-with-alan-jacksons-good-time/
https://fhsmediakats.wordpress.com/2014/05/15/having-a-good-time-with-alan-jacksons-good-time/#respondThu, 15 May 2014 18:49:53 +0000http://fhsmediakats.wordpress.com/?p=1010Continue reading]]>Music Video

by Matt R.

For my music video review I decided to do Alan Jackson’ Good Time. Alan Jackson was born October 17, 1958 in Newnan, Georgia. He is an American country music singer and is known for blending honky tonk with mainstream country. Jackson has been performing since the mid 1980s and was started up with the help of Glen Campbell. At this time, he is currently touring the United States from now until the end of August. Jackson has toured with musicians such as Randy Travis, George Strait, and the infamous George Jones.
The video for Good Time is one of my favourite music videos to watch. The video just makes you want to get up get moving. I think that the video fits the song perfectly. The song is about a guy who has been at work all week, and then Friday comes. Jackson explains that he’s been working all week and instead of him going home and sleeping, he wants to stay out and have fun with his friends, he wants to have a good time. Jackson says what he and his friends are doing and how their having a good time. The video fits the song because it shows people such as firefighters and military personnel who are working letting loose and having fun, or a “good” time. This is why I think the video works so well. Also, Mr. George Jones makes a cameo in the video, another reason why this song and video are among my favourites.
In my opinion, I would not change a single thing in this video. It has very interesting camera angles and the way the song fits is incredible. I believe the way the line dance gets longer and longer perhaps shows that country music is no longer in the south but all over the place. The video is fun and energetic and is not your average music video. It’s hard not to like this song. Some people may say that there’s no story to the video or it doesn’t go anywhere. That is fine, but, I think this does tell a story. Alan Jackson wants to break the world record for longest line dance, while also singing about having a good time with his friends. For me, the video was perfect. It shows that Alan is a guy who’s all about country music and truly having a good time.

Creedence Clearwater Revival’s chronicle is an album that you can’t help but listen to over and over again, a true classic.

Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) was a southern rock/roots rock band from the San Francisco Bay area. The band portrayed southern rock style, singing about southern iconic elements such as the Mississippi river. The band consisted of John Fogerty, Tom Fogerty, Stu Cook and Doug Clifford. John Fogerty was the bands lead vocalist, lead guitar and primary songwriter. Tom Fogerty played rhythmic guitarist and was also backup vocals, Stu Cook was the bands bass player and Doug Clifford played the drums. In the mid seventies, the band broke up due to tensions between the members.

CCR’s chronicle was recorded at Fantasy Records in San Francisco and released in 1976. There is something unique about this album. It features 20 of CCR’s greatest hits. However with release of this album, the song “I heard it through the grapevine” was released with the album. This is one of the reasons why Chronicle is one of the greatest albums ever released. It has all of their hits and shows all different kinds of songs that they have made.

Everything about this album stands out. There are tracks that you cannot listen to just once. The different instruments used, the beat, tempo, they change in every song, and it works. One thing that sticks out in many songs is how strong the vocals are. It is amazing how John Fogerty can go from singing a song like “fortunate son” to “have you ever seen the rain”. He goes from a fast pace song to a slower, easier acoustic song. Another thing that sticks out would be the guitar solos. With John as the lead guitar, he truly puts his heart and soul into the song and guitar solos. In the album, everything comes together. The drums, guitar, singing, it all works out to perfection in the end. With the song “green river”, everything works. The guitar solo is perfect.
CCR’s Chronicle is an album that is not easily forgotten. After you listen to an album like this, you may forget one or two songs, but the majority are still there. Songs such as “Proud Mary”, “lookin’ out my back door”, and “bad moon rising”, songs like this you can never forget. The thing that makes this album stand out against the rest of the world is that music like this can unite generations. Your grandparents, parents, and perhaps your children may listen to classic hits of CCR. Also, it is music like this that you can learn every word and never forget it. It truly brings back memories for people.
Chronicle is an essential when it comes to music. John Fogerty and the rest of the band are those who will be immortalized as pioneers of classic rock music. The album gets a ten out of ten in my books. Everything works in the album. The type of songs that are in it such as faster up beat like “green river” and slower, easier going like “who’ll stop the rain”. The album is an outstanding, glorious piece of art in the eyes of music.
Matt R. Is a grade 12 student whose love for classic hits will never end.

The music video i have chosen to do my review on is called Levels by Avicii.

I think that the music video has one big message in it and i think it is saying that being normal and not expressing yourself and living by societies rules is just going to kill you but when you decide to have a little fun and try to be different people don’t accept it at first but in the end it ends up being contagious and everyone will have fun eventually if they just join along.

I do like the music video because i think it shows a very important message that a lot of people just forget about and that is to live your life how you want it not of the rules of society. If i had to improve one thing i think that when everybody was dancing and happy at the end they could have maybe used some more brighter colours to show more happiness but other than that i wouldn’t change a thing about it.

Just when people thought that Eminem was going to slow down he comes out with this unreal album MMLP2. Marshall Mathers also know an Eminem is a 41 year old who was born in Saint Joseph, Missouri in 1971. Eminem usually does most of his songs by himself but he has had many songs that are huge hits that he has done with many other super stars. Eminems songs usually are electronically made, the genre of music that Eminem makes would be considered rap. The muchly anticipated CD was released on October 15, 2013 and it is pretty unique because people thought that Eminem was pretty much done with his music career but then he came out with this huge album that everybody wanted to get ahold of.

Some of the things that stand out in this album are Marshals fast rapping in the song “Rap God” and the funny insults he throws around in the song as well and all of his songs have very original and catchy beats. The part where he is rapping very fast pumps me up a little bit i like to listen to it before sports events or if i need to do something important. This album is memorable because this is most likely his final album that he is going to be making during his career but it was also one of his most successful out of all eight of them. This stands out to the other albums in the world because Eminem is known world wide and he sold a record amount of copies compared to any other album.

This album is definitely memorable because it is most likely his final one but one of his most successful. If i had to rate this album out of ten i would easily be able to give it a nine out of ten, i wouldn’t give it a ten because there are a couple of songs that i do not like very much but 90 percent of the songs are very catchy and easy to listen to. In the end Marshall Mathers will go down as one of the best rappers of all time, hey i guess you really can call him a Rap God.

I am watching the music video Love The Way You Lie by Eminem ft. Rihanna. This is not the kind of music that I usually listen to but I thought it was a great video to take evaluate. This video has many elements in common with other videos such as the objectification of women and their bodies. It shows that women are weak and vulnerable. The whole video is about a boyfriend who abuses his girlfriend but then tries to make it up to her by giving her teddy bears and telling her that it won’t happen again. The video shows his angry faces rushes after her and him shoving her into walls and treating her as an object when they become sexually intimate.

I don’t really like this video but I also don’t love it. I think it shows a very real situation that still happens each in every day for certain women. It portrays the objectification of women in a different tone but still alert viewers that this is a real issue. In my mind in seems very accurate to way a woman may go through when treated this way. I feel that maybe the video could of made it seem a little more realistic but I don’t think they did a terrible job of portraying it. I honestly don’t think they were trying to promote awareness of abusive relationship and I feel like would be something they should of done.